Gas purification apparatus



p 931. c. B. COLLINS 1,821,090

GAS PURIFICATION APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1929 INVENTOR.

Patented Sept, 1, I931 but? CARROLL B. COLLINS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE KOPPEBS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE I GAS PURIFICATION APPARATUS Application filed May 2,

This invention relates to gas purification and cooling apparatus and more particular- 1y to the gas inlet located at the bottom of a producer gas purifier and cooler.

a In apparatus as previously constructed,

gas has been led from a plurality of producers through an equal number of waste heat boilers to a single cooler o'r purifier. The gas leaving the waste heat boilers was to carried into a common gas header from which it was piped to the gas coolers. It

. was necessary to provide this long horizontal gas header with dust legs or cleanout pipes to remove the dust that settled to out of the gas. It was also necessary to provide one mushroom valve, for each boiler.

In a gas purifier and cooler provided with the present invention, the gas from a plurality of adjacent waste heat boilers is deac livered directly to the bottom of the cooler. The bottom of the purifier is divided into a corresponding number of compartments by means of vertical partitions and each compartment is provided with a water dis- 25 charge connection. The gas from each waste heat boiler flows into one of the compartments at the lower part of the same.

When one of the waste heat boilers or its correspondi g gas producer is shut down so for any m son, the water outlet for the compartment to which that waste heat boiler is connected is closed. Since a spray of cooling water is constantly falling through the bafie plates of the purifier, the water so in this compartment soon rises to the top of the baiile and thereby seals of? gas from the boiler that is shut down. When the s ray water reaches the top of the partit1on, it flows into the other compartments w from which it is drained.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of a puritying tower embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in front e] Wation and partly in cross-section, of the lower part of the purifying tower. to A. purifying or cooling tower 1 is pro- 1929. Serial No. 359,737.

vided with the usual sprays 2 and hurdles 3. At the bottom are located. two gas inlets 4 and 5 and a gas'outlet 6 is located at the top of the tower. The bottom inlets are placed on opposite sides of a vertical partition 7 which divides the lower portion of the tower into two compartments each capable of holding water.

The compartments are provided respectively with water outlets 8 and 9 and the bottom 10 of the tower on which the partition 7 rests is inclined toward the outlets 8 and 9. There is an overflow outlet 11 located a short distance above the unuer edge of the partition 7 and the tower is also provided with a manhole 12.

In operation, when it is desired to shut oil the gas inlet 4, for example, the valve on the water outlet 8 is closed, whereupon the water which constantly comes down through the hurdles 3 from the sprays 2 fills up the compartment until the water level is even with the top of the partition 7. The water rises to a corresponding height in the vertical portion of the gas inlet 4, thus effectively sealing off the further passage of gas into the cooling tower'from this inlet. r

The water continues to descend into this compartmentbut is free to flow over the top edge of the partition 7 and passes out through water outlet 9 along with the water which also falls-on this side of the baffle plate. In a corresponding manner, the closure of the valve on outlet 9 would stop the flow of gas through inlet pipe 5.

Water can flow out of overflow outlet 11 in the event that both valves 8 and 9 are closed although in ordinary operation, either the one or the other of water outlets 8 and 9 wouldbe open.

This invention renders unnecessary the use of 'valvesjfor gas inlets since it substitutes therefor a fluid seal or water seal. It obviates the necessity of mounting valves directly on pipes of inlets t and 5 where the would be subjected to considerable heat an their normal operation would be interfered with by the constant accumulation of dust. This invention also renders unnecessary the placing of dust catchers at inlets 4 and 5 which would be necessary if valves were present on these lines;

While the single modification illustrated shows a purifying or cooling tower with connections for two waste heat boilers only, that is, connections for two gas producers, it will be evident to an one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains that a greater number of producers could be connected to the same purifying tower by properly arranging a plurality of vertical partitions in the bottom of the tower.

Numerous other details of tower construction and arrangements of piping for shutting off a gas line by means of a water seal ma be. suggested by the present disclosure an yet not depart from the scope of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a scrubbing tower having a liquid spray therein, a plurality of gas inlets for t e tower each aving a portion thereof inclined downwardly to form a seal, the seals being arranged to fill with liquid from the spray, and a liquid outlet for each seal, each seal being so arranged that when its liquid outlet is closed the water will overflow into adjacent seals.

2. In a purifying tower having a liquid spray therein, downwardly directed gas inlets, means adjacent each inlet for collecting and holding liquid from said spray to a sufiicient depth to cover the respective inlets and a liquid outlet for each collecting means, each collecting means being so arranged that liquid overflows into adjacent collecting means when its outlet is closed.

3. In a washing tower having a liquid spray therein, a gas inlet for said tower having a portion thereof inclined downwardly to form a seal, an outlet. for the seal, the inlet being arranged to fill with liquid from the spray when the outlet is closed and a second outlet for the seal into which said liquid is arranged to overflow within the tower when the first-mentioned outlet is closed.

4. In a scrubbing tower having a liquid spray therein, a downwardly directed gas inlet in the lower portion of said tower, means for collecting and retaining spray liquid to a sufiicient depth to cover the inlet to constitute a seal therefor and an outlet for said collecting means, said collecting means being so arranged that 1i uid overflows within the tower when sai outlet is closed.

5. In a scrubbing tower, a liquid spray in an upper portion thereof,'a gas inlet pipe in a lower portion thereof, an outlet for the liquid in the bottom portion of said tower, means for closing said outlet to cause liquid to cover the end of said gas inlet pipe to constitute a seal therefor, and a CARROLL B. COLLINS. 

